A Secret, A Mistake, A Confession
by Dr. Agent Ninja
Summary: It's New Year's and love has a way of paying its toll on Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi. "Sakura smiled, remembering how it got to be this way... 'Good morning, sunshine. I love you, too.'"


**Pairing: **sasuXsakuXkaka

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**A/B (author's babble): **For headaching purposes, the italicized is the 'present' and the normal text is... well, whatever you make of it, I guess. But I'd like to refer to it as a memory.

**Summary: **January: A Secret, A Mistake, A Confession: It's New Year's and love has a way of paying its toll on Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi. "Sakura smiled, remembering how it got to be this way. 'Good morning, sunshine. I love you, too.'"

())--8---

**A Secret, A Mistake, A Confession**

_She finally fell from the heavenly ride that her lover just placed her on. Sakura smiled, remembering how it got to be this way. She lied down on top of him and breathed in the scent of their newly formed sweat and sex. It would not have been better any other way._

( -.- )

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Happy New Year!"

Everyone cheered, shot down drinks, and kissed their loved ones. It was the year 2009 – a time of change. So much had happened in the past year that it was almost a relief to leave it all behind. Many of Sakura's friends had gathered at a local pub to celebrate New Year's. Tsunade and Shizune, mostly Shizune, organized the entire gathering – changing mission dates and moving around meetings to get them all back together again. At Christmas, so many of them were away from home; Sakura has been gone to train medical apprentices in Sand, Genma and Iruka had a stakeout in Snow, Team 8 was in Rain on official business, and others weren't able to have their holiday ham and sake due to other ninja-like hindrances.

Sakura was sitting at the bar, slowly swirling a greenish-yellow liquid in her martini glass. She was bored, palm pressed under her chin and eyelids drooping half way down. She crossed her legs, left over right, and drank down the last of her beverage. Looking around, she saw that half of her friends were either eagerly making out in some corner, openly flirting with each other, or way too drunk to care what the hell was going on.

Naruto was in the corner, wrapping his arm around Hinata, obvious that he had one beer too many; she was flushed, even after they had been going out for about five months now. Sasuke was with Kakashi at a booth near the backroom; they were just talking, mug of beer at hand. Ino, her best friend, was heatedly making her way out the door with her legs wrapped tightly around Shikamaru's waist; looks like he's not _all_ lazy. And Sakura, poor lonely Sakura, was sitting by her lonesome self. Her team had abandoned her a while ago.

'_It's days like these that I should deserve a nice one-night stand. Well, not the one-night part, but... screw it! I just need someone to fucking talk to!'_

Her eyebrows crunched angrily and stood up, leaving a tip on the counter. She eyed Sasuke, a former crush, which, after long years of waiting and more months of closure, was _just_ a past infatuation. _'Maybe I could... nah.'_ Sakura shook her head lightly, laughing a little at the thought of having Sasuke in her bed in _that_ way. Then, green eyes drifted to Kakashi; he was handsome, from his unruly hair to his defined arch of a nose, from his chiseled body to the gentle beast inside him waiting to be tamed and comforted. _'He's perfect. No doubt.'_

Sakura had been fond of her ex-teacher for quite some time now, and her emotions for him had gradually continued to grow for over a year. Maybe it was time to make a move? She glanced at the time – thirty past the hour – and walked to the bathroom to freshen up. Although she was quite sure she wasn't going to get anywhere today, she might as well have fun for a bit and join Sasuke and Kakashi for a conversation to last the rest of the night without deftly falling asleep on the tile floor.

:-/

Sasuke leaned back against the back of his cushioned bench and grunted, "Will you tell her already?"

"You know I can't. She's my student; it would get too weird."

"I'm sorry Kakashi, but I don't know what to tell you. She's not as young as you think she is anymore, and you're age isn't going to wait for you."

The older man tightly grasped his beer in realization and sighed, "If I told her, it would suck balls. She would probably laugh, and then when she sees that I wasn't joking, she'll taunt me and call me an 'old' crazy man!"

Sasuke had known about this secret of Kakashi's for about a year or so. If he wasn't so damn stubborn about the entire situation, he would recognize that Sakura isn't immature or that he is an ignorant ass. Normally, their conversation would consist of Kakashi getting drunk and spilling everything on his mind to Sasuke while he just sat there, arms crossed, and listening, but tonight, both drank enough to loosen their tongues and have a mildly flavorful exchange.

"Kiss her," Sasuke pondered to himself quietly before looking up at his sensei.

"Excuse me?"

"Kiss her," he paused, "tonight. It's obviously too late to have it done the gay way and kiss her at midnight for New Year's, but do it anyway. It's still technically the first of January."

Kakashi grunted at his words, "No fucking way."

The boy blanking stared at him, "Jackass." Sasuke finished his beer and saw so many different emotions pass through Kakashi's eyes, a man who rarely showed feelings, especially over a trivial manner such as this.

Leaning back, the confused man threw his head back and let a breath out he hadn't known he was holding, _'I'm gunna do it.'_

'_He's doing it,'_ and the Uchiha proudly smirked at his job well done.

:-l

Sakura looked herself in the mirror, _'I don't look half bad.'_

In all reality, she was beautiful. She had a simple black halter dress, cut into a deep V and backless down to an inch above her goods. The satin cloth was tight against her toned body and was hemmed fairly short – right above her knees. She had kept her hair up for most of the night, but going for a freer look, she let pink waves cascade down, ending around mid-back. Keeping straighter sweeping bangs in the front, she didn't just look beautiful – she was gorgeous. Sakura smiled and walked out of the bathroom, which was oddly clean for a pub.

She saw the booth that her friends were at and sauntered her way over. Smiling, she asked if she could join them. Sasuke stood up politely and let her slide down the booth.

"I'll be back in a sec. Gunna get something to drink. Beer, Kakashi? And mojito for you?" They nodded, and Sasuke turned to walk towards the counter.

A pregnant silence fell upon the two, Sakura fiddling her thumbs under the table and Kakashi looking in any direction but hers.

'_She looks damn good tonight.'_ His eyes caught with hers and gave a smile through the cloth of his mask with a crease in his eye.

"So," she began, not liking the awkward silence, "how've things been going?"

"Alright, I suppose. Just got back from a mission in Rock," he sighed, "it was the most worthless waste of a mission."

Sakura let out a laugh, music to his ears. Things were easing, and they sprung into light conversation. Sasuke hadn't come back for a while now. Instead, he was at a different table, talking to Neji.

: )

"Looks like my plan is working"

Neji turned to the direction of his interest, "Still trying to get them together?"

"Yea, supposedly, him liking her and her liking him was apparently a secret."

"Suckish secret. Half the shitting village knows about it."

"I know, except them," Sasuke mentally rolled his eyes at his teammates' stupidity.

; )

Fingers laced under her chin, leaning on the table, entranced in what they were conversing about, Sakura's mind was in frenzy. _'Why won't he remove his mask? He knows that I know what he looks like under there. In fact, I think that I'm the only one that knows... Where did Sasuke go with our drinks, anyway? I'm thirsty'_

Sakura glanced over and saw Sasuke with Neji, "Will you excuse me, Kakashi? I need to get the drinks that never made it to our table." She let out a small giggle and made her way to the counter.

Passing by Neji's table, she mouthed a 'thank you' and received a nod and a smirk.

;-P

'_Fuck. Talk about breakdown situation. She's beautiful tonight, isn't she? Well, Sakura always is. I'm glad things aren't weird between us; actually, I'm happy with us just being friends, like we've always been for most of our lives. Hn, more like a family. I can't settle for what I have though. If I want it, I have to work to get at it. Damn it, I'm Kakashi Hatake! Calm down, boy. At least it looks like Sasuke's little plot is working. Smart kid – I always knew he was... Thanks,'_ he stared down at her ordering from the bartender, _'I'm a fucking lucky guy.'_

O.o

Sakura made her way back to the booth, a calm aura around her, and placed the drinks on the table, but instead of returning to her original seat, she motioned Kakashi to move down and sat next to him. She opened her eyes to a clock – an hour past the hour. She noticed him stiffen, but said nothing. They began to talk again, a little more hesitantly than before, but slowly, they were back in the gist of things.

"Why do you always wear that mask? You can take it off, ya know. I'd really appreciate it," she let out a teasing smile and had her fingers find the edge of his mask. She pulled it down and gazed in his masculine beauty, "That's better."

She went back to her drink, _'That's much better. Oh! He looks like a fucking sex god!'_

Kakashi felt naked without his mask, but if it made Sakura feel more at ease, then a little nudity wouldn't hurt him.

But by Kami, it doesn't hurt anyone! His lips, thin, but softly plump, adorned a sleek jawbone, and his nose, blessed right in the middle of wonderment, was the same straight arch that the mask covered, but without it, the detail in his face was just flawless. Even that faint scar escaping to the top of his left cheek was perfect. Kakashi had an animalistic asset to the face behind the ever-so-famous mask. If he was handsome and threatening with that cloth on, he was just a man yet to be discovered with it off!

An hour and more had passed, and the two began to feel lightheaded. Sakura leaned her head against his shoulder and let out a contented sigh, molding her body to shape his. The fit was perfect; it made her feel secure and warm, but after Kakashi had relaxed for her form, slinking an arm around her shoulder, Sakura finally felt accepted by him.

Pink lips vibrated into a giggle as she heard her name being called by the lucid tone of her latent love's voice. Sakura turned her head towards his face, and his lips met hers. Hot skin sealed her mouth in a needy, but slow and loving, kiss. Slowly starting to return the encounter, she wrapped her arms around his neck for closer contact, and he granted it with replying arms. His tongue snaked out of its cavern to meet with the soft lips of a pink-haired goddess. They were lost in the moment, eyes closed, and bodies ready for forbidden touches. Kakashi grabbed her hips and hoisted her onto his lap, giving both of them more comfort in their positions; he returned his arm around her waist, and his other hand to cup her blushing cheek.

'_He's such a gentleman – too perfect.'_

Finally, she allowed entrance for his tongue, but the second her muscle moved to caress his, Kakashi jolted out of his reverie and got down from the cloud of heaven he was situated on. Instantaneous regret smoldered his face, eyes widened from what had just happened.

"Shit, Sakura, that was a mistake. I shouldn't have done that."

Confusion and then pain adorned her face, tears threatening to spill as the man in front of her lightly pushed her off his lap, "What do you mean? I thought-"

"You thought nothing. Sakura, I'm your sensei. What we just did was completely immoral and out of our boundaries. I'm sorry, but I think the alcohol just went to our heads. You should just-"

Sakura pushed him away from her and stood up, "I should just what – walk the fuck away and forget it fucking happened?"

Kakashi looked hurt; he broke the heart of a girl – no, a woman – he genuinely loved. "That's not what I mean! What happened was completely accidental..."

By now, of the people that remained in the pub, heads turned toward their direction, and silence, aside from the light music in the background, spread throughout the room like a fatal plague. Soon, whispers were switched and worried, confused glances were exchanged.

"Accidental?! What kind of sick-hearted bastard are you?" Her eyes turned down and she turned away from him, tears escaping her eyes. _'Damn it, do I always havta cry?'_

Sasuke was flabbergasted; it was a foolproof plan but the asshole still found a way to fuck it up. He caught Sakura's glance – he remembered those shimmering emerald eyes from so long ago, when she wasted those tears on a guy like him. Sasuke never wanted to like her because he knew that a person like Sakura only deserved the best of man, and he wasn't the best. That why he constantly put her down, hoping that she'd realized her blinded faults for liking him. And after a while, those downtrodden eyes weren't there to curse her face anymore; that is, until now. Sasuke hated anyone who would make Sakura look and feel like that, which was why, for a time of his life, he hated himself, but past events out of the way, he, momentarily, had his victim locked and his fury was loaded. Sasuke managed to keep calm because now wasn't the time to confront Kakashi; Sakura was still there, after all, and she was still too fragile to be tempered with.

Sakura wiped her warm tears running down the curve of her cheek, desperately trying to avoid the inevitable stares coming from the onlookers. She slowly walked to the exit of the building in search for a place to retreat. Ino had probably taken their apartment, seeing how the best friends were roommates, which left Sakura in the streets.

Passing by, Sasuke heard her quietly scold herself, 'I'm annoying and I'm weak, as always.' He saw that bitter grin drawn on the canvas of her face. He felt his heart wrench as she walked to the dirt roads.

=(

"The fucking hell is wrong with you," Sasuke briskly walked towards Kakashi, pulling his mask back over his face, not wanting to look at a man with no sensitivity and dignity, and fisting his shirt in his hand. He pushed him against the wall with his forearm against his covered neck. Sasuke saw that his ex-teacher was sweating; his eyes were dilated and red, almost as if he had been crying already. It was clearly evident that her public pain had such an effect on him, which made Sasuke think twice, considering if the man he's so disgusted with in front of him actually cared for her like he thought he did for the past months on running.

"Sasuke, stop, please," Kakashi hoarded out, his voice sounding hoarse.

The raven-haired man let him to his feet, staring intently at his eyes, "What the shit happened, asscrack?"

Kakashi's stare glanced back from Sasuke to the door and the retreating back of his former student, "Let me, just-"

"Go. Fix it. She doesn't deserve this," Sasuke looked to his feet, quivering with an unknown rigidity and livid passion coursing through his veins. He noticed that his sensei's voice was cracking, and the air around him was thick with tension. At the moment, Sasuke just needed for Kakashi to fix it all because he knew very well that he wasn't the one that was meant to comfort her, to fix her when she was broken. He knew that it was Kakashi's path to follow; it was only up to the wily, silver-haired man to take on the challenge.

Kakashi ran past him, and Sasuke turned his head to follow his movements. _'She doesn't need this again, Kakashi.'_

=,(

The slender man ran out into the rain, frantically searching for the girl he pined for; his eyes ran everywhere, pivoting the position he currently stood.

He looked up and a crack of lighting, followed by an ear-spinning whip of thunder, split through the dark skies as more rain continued to fall down. The faint beat of music, still coming from the party, reached his eardrums, causing a headache to erupt from its hiding place. Kakashi needed to find Sakura.

'_Fuck.'_

He ran for her apartment complex, at least three miles away from where he was, but with his goals in mind, he got there in record time. Pounding on the door, he heard the escaping sound of moaning, and he peered through a thinly covered window. Pass the light blue cotton, he saw a silhouette of two lovers. Denying that it was Sakura, he focused his eyes as he heard a name screamed out.

"Shikamaru!"

'_That's just Ino. Thank God. I swear, I'd kill him if he was fucking Sakura.'_

Kakashi rolled his eyes and set off in search for her, trying hard to detect any signs of her chakra or the scent of her body – just anything would've given him a spark of little hope. He carried his legs under him to run to his house. _'Maybe she'd be there.'_ He pondered, asking more of a question than a statement.

:-(

Sakura couldn't run anymore. She was tired, continually swaying back and forth. In her drunken stupor, she found herself at _his_ house. Her wet tresses flopped while she shook her head back and forth, laughing in remorse and shallow arrogance.

"That's how pathetic I am. I can't even stay away from his fucking house."

Her cold hands shuddered as she got a hold of the gate's handle. Turning it slowly, wrists aching, she opened it, metal creaking an unsoundly noise.

She had taken her black stilettos off a while ago, as she was running through the mud. Beginning to feel the wet soak through her bones, she ran for the door. Feeling for a key, Sakura picked up a paper lantern and found it inside. She unlocked the door, dropping her shoes outside and put one bare foot in the house. Warmth instantly surrounding her, she closed her eyes and knew she felt at home here.

Going to a cabinet in a bathroom hall, almost getting lost on the way from the immense structure of the building foundation, she found a fluffy dark blue towel and dried herself off, trying not to drip too much in hopes of not being _annoying_ again to him.

Sakura wrapped the comforting towel around her, dress still practically sticking to her body. She ran her fingers against the walls, trying to feel his presence, hoping that it would cease her worry. She found his bedroom and walked inside. Going into his closet, she tried to find something reasonable to wear of his. Sakura needed to stay healthy, despite the sick clammy feeling she was holding inside. Failing at finding anything in the closet, she got down to her knees and crawled over to his drawers, dropping the towel over his slippers next to a black-covered bed. She opened the first drawer, blushing when it was filled with his boxers. She fingered through the top one and took it out.

'_Black silk. So like him.'_

She opened the bottom drawer, taking out a large grey shirt. Going to the farther wall of the room, she opened the door to find the bathroom, and she proceeded to change in there. Stripping out of her black dress and undergarments, getting a little pale from the sudden escape of heat, she looked at herself, full in the mirror, and took in the sight of her exposed body.

'_No wonder he doesn't like me.'_

Not bothering to put her undergarments back on because of their excessive dampness, she slipped on his boxers and shirt. Sakura wrung her clothes over the sink, trying to get the water to escape. She then hung them on a hook over a table. Back into his room, she got the towel she so carelessly left behind and put it up to her face. _'It smells just like him.'_ Sakura put the towel over the table inside the bathroom so that she wouldn't get it wet from the drying clothing.

Sakura walked over to his bed, which was neatly done – for a man, mind you – and put her feet through the loops of his slippers. It was warm, and instantly, she felt sleepy. Knowing it was rude to sleep on a bed uninvited, not like breaking into a home is any better, she made her way into the kitchen to fix up some tea. Sakura found a kettle and put the water and leaves inside of it. Finishing her concoction, she put it on top of the stove and turned on the burner. She set out two small cups, one for her and one for him, 'i_n case he comes home.'_ Knowing that the black cup is always his, she took that one out, as well as a red one, which was the only other colors in his cabinet out of the countless white porcelain, other than the grey cup that was always for Naruto.

She sat on the counter, waiting for the kettle to make its loud whistling sound. She swung her feet, feeling slightly happier. _'Being here is nice. It wouldn't be too bad if I could live here one day.'_ Sakura jumped to her feet and found a tray, setting the two cups on one end of it.

Sakura looked around the kitchen and found a picture of her and him together. They were such good friends back then... well, _'As good of friends as we can ever be.'_

A whistle erupted, interrupting Sakura from her trance. She turned off the heat and took the kettle to place it on the other side of the tray. Carrying it to a middle table, between a loveseat and a couch, she moved over some books and rolled up some scrolls to make it seems like a woman lived in the house. She smiled again and poured herself some wet heat in the red cup. She brought it up to inhale the fragrance and set it in her hands, in attempt to warm the rest of her body. Sakura sat down on the couch and lied down, head tilted slightly upward so she could still drink without it going down the wrong way.

She took a sip and sighed, eyelids heavy with fatigue of weariness and heartbreak. Sakura closed her eyes, keeping the cup steady in her hands on top of her stomach. Almost out of consciousness, she whispered aloud, "I still miss him."

X(

Sasuke got to his feet, said his farewells to his friends, and got the hell out of there. After Sakura and Kakashi left, he didn't bother to drink anymore, which left him fairly sober, but nonetheless, a horrible migraine made its way to his temples. Staying on the sidewalks, where there was more cover from the rain, he pocketed his fists, eyebrows furrowed, and walked to Kakashi's house, hoping to have a stern talk with the problematic man.

Opening the gate, he saw a shadow of a man sitting outside on the porch, next to the door.

"Kakashi?"

The said man looked up at Sasuke with weary eyes, "I have looked everywhere for her. I-, I-," he stuttered.

"I know you have. I'm sorry."

"Sorry? What are you apologizing for?" His eyes wandered from the floor to the door, to the sky to Sasuke's eye, "I think I love her."

Awestruck, he knelt down, "Love who?" Sasuke needed confirmation. He knew who he meant, but it was better for the both of them if he said it out loud as proof of confession.

"I love," Kakashi hesitated, but in a lower voice, he looked at him straight in the eye, and said in a much bolder voice, "I love Sakura."

Sasuke put his hand on Kakashi's shoulder as reassurance, and in a comforting point of view, he nodded gently and walked away, wanting to leave him in peace, but more wanting to get at home and sleep. _'Some New Year."_

Kakashi stood up and opened the door to his house. He went to the kitchen, made himself some tea, and sat down on his couch. He clutched the beige cup, not caring that he was making his home an absolute mess. He was dripping wet, but Kakashi, at the moment, could care less. All he wanted was to have Sakura in his arms again.

Disheveled, he ran upstairs to his room and flopped on his bed. He pounded a fist against his pillow and screamed, face down. Kakashi was sick of this pain. Of every possible thing done to him, this was by far the most torturous he had experienced. He ran a hand through his hair and looked up at his white ceiling, fisting the white covers under him. Kakashi slowed down his heartbeat and breathed calmly.

'_It's just a girl.'_ But despite all that he told himself, he knew that Sakura wasn't _just_ a girl.

8l

Sasuke walked to his home, finding the gate to have already been opened. He raised an elegant eyebrow up, stepping inside his territory and closing the gate properly. He saw that the lights had been on through the window from where he was standing. Sasuke was on alert. He took out a kunai from his back pocket, a habit he never broke, and found haven in his room. He saw that it had been rummaged through as well. His closet had been left slightly open and the light in the bathroom was still on. Sasuke walked over to the bathroom, slightly tripping over the opened drawers.

He was confused out of his mind, but when he saw the dress hanging from the hook, he knew who was downstairs. Sasuke returned his kunai and sighed. _'So much to deal with.'_

Going downstairs, he peered around the corner seeing Sakura asleep. Sasuke smiled genuinely. _'She looks so peaceful.'_ He walked down to the floor, making sure to keep everything still and quiet to ensure a sound sleep.

He came over to her, pulling a strand of loose hair away from her forehead. "You were never annoying, Sakura."

Sasuke moved backward and bumped into the tray, slightly sticking out the borderline of the table. He turned and picked up the other cup – his _black_ one. He knew that Sakura knew that the cup belonged to him and him alone, so why was it out? Sasuke looked inside, noticing that it was completely empty – clean. Going to Sakura, he noticed how she clutched the red cup. It was half-filled and cold. Prying it slowly out of her hands, he put it back on the tray and brought himself to the kitchen.

He put the kettle back on the stove and turned the heat while he placed the red cup, as well as the tray, inside the sink. Sasuke set the black cup on the counter and went back to sit next to the couch, on the floor. Eye-level with Sakura, he gazed at her unconscious form. She seemed so innocent and at peace while she was resting. Sasuke sat with her until the kettle starting to blow, when he jumped and sprinted back to the kitchen to cease its whistling so that Sakura wouldn't wake up.

Through the doorway, he saw that the abrupt sound caused her to stir a little, but she was still well asleep. Sasuke didn't want to bother her.

Pouring a cup of hot tea for himself, he brought it up to his room and sat down on his bed. He leaned against the headboard and relaxed, ankles crossed and tea in his hands.

Sasuke took his coat and dress shirt off, unbuckling his pants, and ruffling his hair. He was insanely stressed and tense as he continued to force himself to unwind from a day's long and confusing events. Taking a sip from his cup, he melted into the feel of relief. Sasuke eyes drooped and was about to go to sleep.

The lights in the hallway turned on, and the door to his room inched open. He feigned sleep and felt the presence of someone watching him. The weight in his bed shifted. Sakura lied down next to Sasuke, wrapping an arm around his waist and leaned her head against his chest. His heart started to beat furiously. Unknowingly to Sakura, he had feelings for her, and these weren't exactly safe for the state they were in. Sasuke, infatuated with his teammate, knew better than to get in between Kakashi and Sakura.

Sasuke inhaled her scent, _'Intoxicating...'_

Sakura woke up slightly, and blushed from the close proximity they were currently in, _'Yea, I still miss him,'_ but she still had doubt in her mind whether or not that it was the right thing for her to do, _'It never hurts to try, right?'_

She moved closer to him, Sasuke's breaths increasing. He didn't know what to do – sure, he wanted to ravish her in his own bed, but he couldn't betray Kakashi, the one man who he had come to recognize as brethren, as family. He chose not to move towards her, despite the anxiety he was sparingly controlling.

Noticing no movement from him, except the several sharp intakes of oxygen, Sakura grew disappointed, but courage struck over her as she realized that he didn't move away either. She closed the space between, lips surrounding his.

Movement was slow and needy, never rushing for a second. Lips pressed closed, Sasuke wouldn't give in. He remained motionless and continued to thread his fingers through her hair. Sakura wouldn't hear of it; she pried open with her canal muscle, prodding for feeling from him.

Sasuke pushed her away, "You know we can't do this." His voice was barely above a whisper as it cracked with regret.

"I know, but I want to."

"You want to what..."

She remained silent. She didn't know how to answer such a question. Did she want to really want to experience her dormant feelings for him again? For Sasuke to love her back? Or was it because she wanted a different kind of love – one that will comfort and pleasure her?

Sakura moved closer, an attempt to kiss him again. Sasuke retaliated.

"You never answered me, Sakura."

She was taken back. Sasuke could be so blunt sometimes; it was a wonder how he stayed straight all these years with so little emotion towards girls.

The girl answered, though not strongly, "I don't _know_ what I want. I just want to be happy today, even if it doesn't last long."

Sasuke nodded, understanding her distant pain. He looked at her eyes, refusing to look into his. She was nervous and confused, and didn't know what to do. Sakura wasn't thinking about what consequence might result from her action – she just wanted to live for the spur of the moment. Sasuke granted it.

He pulled her into a kiss, which she eagerly returned with as much energy as he had put forth. Her hands eagerly crept down the length of his abdomen and pulled him into a caress. Sakura fingered the hem of his unbuckled bottom.

Sasuke's eyes shot open and painfully pushed her away. He knew what he had just done was wrong, both the kiss and the push, but he knew she wasn't his anymore.

"Go to Kakashi."

Sakura sat up at the foot of his bed, slightly twisting her ankle to make sure the pain was just short noting.

"You have to," Sasuke hesitantly said.

"But why?" Sakura was pleading. _'I thought he loved me.'_

"I love you, Sakura!" Sasuke blurted out, but showed no signs of regret for saying it. He simply saw loss in the effort of his hindrance.

She crawled over to him, and lied down on top of his slightly drained body. Sakura wrapped her arms around him as best she could without shaking.

"I love you too."

He pushed her off again, but gently this time, "No, you don't. It's hard for me to accept that, but no. You love me the way you love Naruto. You would die for me as a sibling, but never as a lover."

Sakura looked straight into his eyes, and knew that he told her the truth, "I'm sorry, Sasuke."

"You should be," he remarked in a jokingly voice. But he really wanted her best apologies. In the end, he couldn't get her love, after all.

D,:

She walked outside, glad that the rain had finally stopped. She knew that she couldn't possibly go to her house know. It would be absolutely horrid if she were to walk in on Ino and Shikamaru doing the nasty.

Sakura did the only thing she knew she could do. She walked to Kakashi's house and opened the gate, little creaking noises coming from its hinges. She rapped on the door and waited for a reply. On the way, she had been thinking. _'Sasuke was right. I don't love him the way I think of him. But, what made me kiss him? It must've been just those little child lapses again. I love Kakashi. I know I do. I just wanted comfort in Sasuke. That's all. I love Kakashi, and that's point blank.'_

She had made that decision by herself, without the contemplative reasoning of hypocritical people.

Kakashi opened the door; his eyes were red. A hand was held at the edging of the frame, and the other was hung carelessly by his side; he looked hunched, but in this case, ultimately embarrassed and tired.

Sakura eyes felt guilty, and he saw right through her. She jumped into his unexpecting arms and looked at him, whispering desperate apologies and sweet nothings in his ear.

'_Oh, screw being a teacher.'_ He wanted her. Kakashi tilted her head up with his hand and crashed lips to lips, surprised from the instant opening of her mouth.

She felt him ease into her touch and slowly found her way into his bedroom. Kakashi carried her, never losing touch with her sweet mouth's capture and laid her on the bed, with him soon following to hover over her.

( o.o )

_Sunlight shone through the thin outlining of her curtains. Sakura must've fallen asleep after memories began flying through her mind. 'I guess I was just dreaming again.'_

_Kakashi had her in his arms and looked down into her eyes with his weary mismatched, "Good morning, sunshine."_

"_I love you, Kakashi."_

"_I love you, too."_

())--8---

**Posted: **January 20, 2009


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